News

Following successive wins against Gilfach Goch and Treorchy Bridgend Athletic visited Div 1 East Central league leaders Glamorgan Wanderers at their Memorial Ground. It was a remarkable milestone for veteran Athletic prop Wayne Fooks making his 300^th 1^ST XV appearance and 369^th Athletic senior appearance in a career stretching back 20 years.

It was not to be the result Wayne wanted as his side went down by 22 points to 10 in a game where the result greatly flattered the home side. Only one player current Athletic backs coach Stuart Morris has made more appearances 459 than Wayne and came out of retirement at the age of 47 to help an outside half crisis. With both Athletic first choice No 10’s long term injuries Stuart became the 7^th player to occupy that role this season. Like Wayne he played the full 80 minutes and both players’ performances belied their ages. Wayne saw off the challenge of two far larger Wanderers props while Stuart turned back the clock with a true outside half display both with out of hand kicking and bringing his backs into play. Both players are stepped in green and gold.

The Athletic playing up the slope started on the front foot dominating territory. Starved of early possession the Wanderers opened play on the half way line. A long-attempted miss pass was seized on by alert Athletic wing Will Barraclough and intercepted to follow his last-minute winning try at Treorchy with a run in from half way. Full back Levi Hallett added the conversion to give the Athletic a 7-0 lead.

Morris was yellow carded on the 20-minute mark. The Wanderers attempted to capitalise with a series of penalty driving line out mauls were held out by the Athletic but they succumbed to offside allowing Wanderers outside half Luke Fish to narrow the deficit to 7-3. From another free play from a penalty Fish kicked across field and the ball bounced kindly for wing Max Cunningham to gather and cross in the corner. Fish converted to put the Athletic 10-7 ahead.

The final minutes of the half saw the Athletic pack take control. With MOM No 8 Ben Davies, flanker Sean Williams and hooker Lee Murphy prominent the Athletic launched drives at the home line. From a 5-metre driving line out with the final play of the half the Athletic crossed for what the Wanderers later admitted was a try, only for when the referee arrived on the scene the Wanderers had piled around the ball obscuring his view and he adjudged the ball held up.

The much heavier Wanderers pack asserted some early second half control and put the Athletic under pressure early in the half. Athletic wing Will Barraclough made a break and looked likely to score but attempted a pass which went astray, and a scoring opportunity was missed. Barraclough was again involved when Athletic No 8 Ben Davies broke from a scrum 5 metres from the Athletic line. He fed Morris whose well timed pass saw Barraclough race 40 metres along the touchline. The Wanderers countered and kicked back into the Athletic 22. They moved the ball wide for wing Will Jones to slip two tackles and cross in the corner to extend the Wanderers lead to 15-7.

The Athletic responded and were awarded a penalty kicked by Levi Hallett. Two minutes later the Wanderers were also awarded a penalty inside the Athletic 22. Before the Athletic aligned their defence, Wanderers scrum half Morgan Evans took a quick tap penalty and raced over for a try converted by Callum Bricknell.

The Athletic went all out in the final minutes for a losing bonus point try. Impressive scrum half Aled Thomas, Morris and Barraclough all went close as desperate measures saw the home side concede two yellow cards. However, the Athletic could not find the finishing touch to round off dominant possession and came away with nothing from the game.

Athletic head coach John Apsee was disappointed that his side’s effort did not bring just reward against the division’s top side. The Athletic must dust themselves off for the challenge of the division’s second placed side Rumney at Newbridge Fields this Saturday Jan 19^th.